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Ring with an expert

Ring with an expert

Tom Marshall

Join your local trust and get an unforgettable first hand experience bird ringing. Watch how the experts do it and learn more about your favourite species while getting up close to the birds. Your local Trust may be running an event soon, so check our events page for an exclusive chance to see beautiful birds in hand.

The first stop in conservation is understanding.

Tom Marshall

The practice of bird ringing goes back 100 years, and has led to a better understanding and increased of our knowledge of birds and bird movements, and ringing allows us to monitor the species and the bird’s longevity. The initial capture allows us to check that the bird is unhurt, to check feather conditions, age and to take measurements. Any captures after this allow us to look at behavioural traits, such as feeding patterns, migration and movement, and population studies.

The rings that are put on the birds are small circles of plastic or metal, and do not affect its ability to feed, fly or move. Recaptures happen all over the world, and the unique number printed on the ring allows the bird to be identified. Most birds return to their first brood site each year, making population studies this way, easier; particularly as offspring can be identified.